CessnaLady From Mexico, joined May 2004, 300 posts, RR: 5 Posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 1811 times:
This is strange... I thought the Mexican a.net community would make comments on this... Volaris started operations today with its new A319 fleet... Maiden voyage was TLC-TIJ, with Pedro Aspe on board.
BA0242 From Mexico, joined Mar 2006, 54 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 1715 times:
CessnaLady,
Thanks for opening this topic... Can't wait to hear all the details on this new start.
Let's hope today begins a whole new era for Mexican aviation, I trust that companies like Volaris will set the basis for a great change. It's ridiculous how expensive it is to fly within Mexico. I never understood this: the cost of life in Europe is more expensive than in Mexico, but flying within the whole continent is normally much less expensive than flying within Mexico. I hope this will finally come to an end.
Furthermore, I hope the creation of airlines like Volaris or Interjet will push the "old-fashioned" Mexican carriers like AeroCalifornia or Aviacsa, to modernize their fleets and improve the services they provide.
As we say in Spanish: "renovarse o morir".
The best wishes for Volaris!!!
[Edited 2006-03-14 16:18:10]
Favourite visitors at MEX: British Airways B747-400 and Japan Airlines B747-400.
Adriaticus From Mexico, joined May 2004, 1064 posts, RR: 22 Reply 2, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1688 times:
While I'm glad for Mexican aviation in general, I hope the whole thing does not become a bloodshed; Interjet (favoring A320's) and Volaris (with their A319's) are, as of yesterday, practically on each others' neck. We'll see more as soon as GOLMex and Ryanmex are here (both likely to use B73NG's), and Azteca (with B73NG's), Aerocalifornia (with DC9-15's, and lately, some DC9-30's) Aeromar (with ATR42's, talk of upgrading to E170/190's!) and Aviacsa (with a mixture of classic B722's and B732's) enter the race (they will need to at some point or the other!).
Aerolitoral has been, thus far, a "protected" operation of AM, but they have been doing strange things lately, and they have gone from acting as an AM feeder, to seemingly develop their own business model... Strange... God knows it's lovely to fly around in their gleaming new E145's... Click, with its F100's, remains a MX arm with no merchandising of its own.
Last but not the least, legacy MX and AM have been forced to rethink the approach they have in some routes... Not bad, but this will also force major cost readjustments... Including cutting jobs and renegotiatig benefits for the huge legions of retired employees they both have hanging from their necks...
Juventus From United States, joined Dec 2004, 2835 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1659 times:
(The website its Volaris.com.mx.)
For the first few months they can expect light loads, and then they tend to pick up. No need to worry if the first months yield low bookings for Volaris. They will do just fine. Good luck to them.
Pedro Aspe is a former minister of finance in a past Mexican government. He's a well-known man, and apparently key in putting together the four owners of Volaris: Carlos Slim (who forbes just ranked 3rd amongst the world's richest), Grupo TACA, Televisa (owned by Emilio Azcarraga, also a Forbes' top 100), and an investment firm. It is said that only someone like him would have assembled this group. He is also president (IIRC) and director general of Volaris.
MTYFREAK From Mexico, joined Apr 2004, 368 posts, RR: 2 Reply 10, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 1555 times:
Quoting BA0242 (Reply 1): the cost of life in Europe is more expensivernthan in Mexico, but flying within the whole continent is normally muchrnless expensive than flying within Mexico.
Take into consideration that LCCs in Europe compete directly with fast trains and the advantage of taking a train is that you board your train at a station in the heart of the city and it takes you all the way to DOWNTOWN of your destination city which is a big plus for Europeans since that way you dont have to travel for 1 hour or more to get to and from the airport.
BA0242 From Mexico, joined Mar 2006, 54 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 1531 times:
Adriaticus,
Thanks for your welcome message!
MTYFREAK,
I agree with you that airlines have to compete with fast trains in Europe in some cases, like for example London-Paris (vs. Eurostar), Madrid-Seville (vs. AVE) , Amsterdamd-Paris (vs. Thalys), etc.
But even for longer distances, where fast trains cannot compete anymore with air transport, like Madrid-Berlin or Athens-Brussels, travelling by air in Europe is really cheap (next week-end I will fly MAD-MXP-MAD with Vueling for 74 eur taxes included), especially since all those new LCC's emerged in the continental market, and I really wish the same will arise in Mexico in a not-too-long term.
Favourite visitors at MEX: British Airways B747-400 and Japan Airlines B747-400.
Adriaticus From Mexico, joined May 2004, 1064 posts, RR: 22 Reply 12, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1411 times:
Quoting Juventus (Reply 5): For the first few months they can expect light loads, and then they tend to pick up.
Interjet has had about 60% load factor since it started operations in December out of Toluca (TLC). Volaris is tapping in the same hub, with sometimes different destinations, sometimes the same. I hope there are enough pax as to give both enough load factor to go beyond break-even point.
Fly727 From Mexico, joined Jul 2003, 1775 posts, RR: 24 Reply 13, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 1370 times:
Quoting Adriaticus (Reply 12): hope there are enough pax as to give both enough load factor to go beyond break-even point.
I sincerely doubt it!
Though I'm a firmly believer of the Southwest effect (more frequencies and options, consequent drop in costs helps develop the market), I don't see that happening in the majority of routes pretended or currently operated by Interjet and Volaris.
Let's pick MTY-GDL or TLC-MTY. The routes enjoy stability, with a very well determined market which is, on the good side fairly repetitive. Will the new entrants help boost the traffic? Don't think so. The Southwest effect could work perfectly on city pairs in which the bus service is still heavily used, but come on! MTY-GDL?. TLC/MEX-GDL/MTY? The passengers they get are the passengers they steal from other carriers. No such thing as creating traffic here....
Unless some very uncivilized company still sends their employees on 12-hour bus trips to a sales presentation.
RM
There are no stupid questions... just stupid people!
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